Love To Go

Chapter 3

"What are you doing?!" Sakura cried, aghast at the sight in front of her window.

"Sakura! Can you tutor me in Japanese? I swear that's the only subject I need help on! Come on, pleaseeee? I have strawberry tarts!" Syaoran waggled the box of strawberry tarts tantalizingly.

Sakura continued to stare at him, astounded. She was trying to tie in the connections in her brain. In her mind, asking someone to be your tutor, climbing up a tree, and waving baked goods around in the air simply did not compute.

"I really, really need your help! I need at least a B in Japanese to get on the Honour Roll! Pleaseeee, Sakura?" Syaoran continued on ranting.

Too many questions were floating around in Sakura's head and she was too stunned to figure out which one she should put forth.

"Why are you up in a tree?!" That was probably the most obvious one.

"Your brother probably wouldn't let me in the house. Now, will you tutor me?"

"Get down from there!"

"Will you tutor me?"

"No! Go away!" Sakura freaked out. "I mean…can't you just climb down first?!"

"It's kind of hard to," Syaoran confessed sheepishly, scratching his head gently. "I mean, I have this big bag of books and this box of strawberry tart…oh here, I got an idea. Catch!"

Without giving her much warning, Syaoran shrugged off his backpack and hurled it towards the open window. Using her quick reflexes, Sakura managed to hug the heavy backpack without letting it plough her over. But it did slightly knock the wind out of her. Heaving a light gasp, Sakura settled Syaoran's backpack down with a scowl. Stupid Syaoran Li. Always making trouble for me. She glanced back out the window, but he was already gone. She dashed over and lunged her head out the window. He was down by the tree trunk, a grin upon his handsome face as he silently pointed to the side of the house. Winking at her, he dashed.

The backdoor, Sakura thought with frustration, knowing what he had been gesturing to.

.o.

.o.

.o.

"I can't believe you—"

"Shhhh!" Syaoran shushed with a smile when Sakura flung the backdoor open. He slipped inside the house and locked the door behind him. "Let's go back to your room! Come on!" He grabbed her by the wrist and led her back to her own room.

"Okay, just what in the world do you think you were doing?! Climbing up that tree like that with this weight of a bag, and baked goods? What, do you not value your limbs?!" Sakura exasperated loudly as soon as the door to her room closed shut.

"Were you worried about me?" Syaoran grinned cheekily. "Awww…"

"Shut up! I was not!" Sakura fumed. "I just didn't want you to bother me! And give me those!" She snatched the box of strawberry tarts from his hands and took a bite out of one, all the while still glaring at him.

"Anyways, as much as I like to flirt with you, we really should get started. My Japanese homework won't finish itself, you know." Syaoran began to rootle around in his backpack, which laid on the soft carpet of Sakura's bedroom in a lump.

"Uh…I never agreed to tutor you." Sakura reminded.

"Oh, come on! Pretty please?"

"Why should I?"

Syaoran stood up and sighed. "Sakura…look, I know that ever since that day I've confessed to you outside the cafeteria, you've been through a lot of stress from all the rumours and teasing going on around at school about us. But…well, I just want you to know that I was serious about what I said. I mean, I can understand why you don't want to go out with me. I'm just some random guy from Third Tier who's not as intelligent or as debonair as Kai, so why would you even think about someone like me? I –"

"You think I rejected you because you get bad grades. Because I go for guys who are intellectual and because grades are everything?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. Sakura set the box of strawberry tarts aside.

"Well…yeah. Isn't that what you said?"

Sakura's gaze was on the ground. Slowly she picked her head up to stare up at him. "Syaoran?

"Yes?" He asked hopefully.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you even listen to a word I say. Just get out."

"…What?"

"Get out!" She put both her hands on his chest and pushed him out the door of her bedroom. Syaoran was too astonished by her suddenly anger to stop her. She threw his backpack out after him. "And if you want to live to see the dawn of tomorrow, I suggest you take the backdoor before Touya sees you coming from my room!"

"Sakura, wait!"

"No! You. Get. Out. Now!"

"Saku—"

Sakura slammed the door of her bedroom door close and leaned back against it, trying to calm down her heavy breathing. She heard him shuffling outside for a few minutes before finally realizing that she wasn't going to change her mind about reopening the door and left.

Honestly, when it came to Syaoran Li…she didn't know whether she should laugh or cry.

.o.

.o.

.o.

"Sakura, are we starting tomorrow after school?" Kai asked at lunch the next day as he slid into the seat next to her in the Fourth Tier classroom.

Sakura nodded. She knew what he was talking about. It was that time of year again – winter semester final exams. She and Kai had been studying together ever since they were thirteen. It was no doubt that Kai was arrogant, but Sakura couldn't deny the fact that he was a good study partner. Even though he had romantic feelings towards her, he had never let those feelings get in the way of a good friendship and partnership. He was not the type of guy who used studying together as an excuse to be near her so that he could ogle her. No, both Sakura and Kai could see the mutual benefit of being partners at school. Sakura liked to study with Kai. It was both fun and productive because he worked the same way she did and they knew each other's study habits inside out.

"My house tomorrow after school?"

Kai smiled softly at her. "Sounds great to me."

Sakura grinned back before flipping the Fourth Tier biology textbook open. She and Kai were part of a lunchtime tutoring program – it was an extracurricular thing where Fourth and Fifth Tier students could come in during lunchtime twice a week and get homework help from First and Second Tier students. Sakura's tutee was a shy boy in her own year in the Fourth Tier named Kenji Sato. He was sweet and tried his best at every subject. However, he wasn't a naturally bright student. In fact, his teacher considered bumping him down to the Fifth Tier. However, ever since Sakura started working with him, his grades had improved a lot.

"Hey, Sakura. Guess what? I got a 60 on my biology test today!" Kenji grinned ear to ear.

"Wow! Kenji, that's awesome!" Sakura beamed happily. "That's a major improvement from your last biology test score!"

"Yeah, a 45," Kenji winced. "Don't remind me. I know that a 60 isn't great…I mean, it's a C, but—"

"Kenji, you gave your best effort. That's all that matters. I'm really proud of you." Sakura said truthfully with a sincere smile.

"Really?" Kenji blushed. "Y-y-you are?"

"Of course I am!"

Out of the corner of her emerald green eyes, Sakura could see Kai rolling his eyes at her conversation with Kenji as he was waiting for his own tutee to show up. Obviously a 60 is a score to be ashamed of if you were in First Tier. But it was undeniably a drastic and tremendous improvement for Kenji. Sakura tried her best to ignore the arrogant and intolerable expressions on Kai face, which she sure Kenji also noticed. She hoped Kenji could ignore Kai.

"Um…Sakura?"

"Yes, Kenji?"

"L-listen, I heard about what happened with Syaoran Li. About how he confessed to you."

Sakura shifted her gaze. God, did everyone hear about it? How embarrassing. Why couldn't her personal life be discreet anymore? "Yeah, everyone probably heard of it by now."

"Y-y-yeah…and I was thinking…you have to admit that he was very, um, brave."

"I suppose it did take guts," Sakura smiled despite of her annoyance over the whole Syaoran fiasco. Why was Kenji praising Syaoran? Syaoran Li better not have put Kenji up to this!

"And it was after that incident that I realized that I…I have a lot of respect for him." Kenji continued, not meeting Sakura's gaze.

Sakura laughed. "Respect? For Syaoran? Kenji, you don't even know him!"

"Yeah, but god knows I never had the courage to confess." Kenji lifted his head up to meet her in the eye.

"Yeah…I-I never had such a courage either…" Sakura muttered, and all of a sudden she started to grasp a sense of the same respect Kenji had for Syaoran.

"I mean, I used to think it's impossible for me to even talk properly in front of the girl I like…just like how I thought it's impossible for me to improve my biology mark." Kenji went on, starting to sound like he was babbling.

"But Kenji, you did improve your score. See, it wasn't impossible after all!"

"R-r-right. So that's why I thought maybe confessing isn't all that impossible e-e-either…" Kenji mumbled. He weakly held Sakura's gaze. "Sakura, would you um…like to…um…havedinnerwithmetonight?"

No denying he said the last part in a rush. But Sakura heard him nonetheless. She was about to reply but Kenji interrupted.

"I-I-I mean, I don't really expect you to say yes or anything. I mean someone as smart as you would…would never…I mean…I just…I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend or anything even…even though I…I really like you but asking you to be my girlfriend is just too out of the question…but – but I just wanted to have…have…I mean to at least have dinner with you – if that's okay with you I mean. And I totally understand if it's—"

"Would you shut up already?"

At this rude comment, Kenji shut up immediately, a heavy blush upon his face. His gaze immediately shot downwards.

"Kai!" Sakura scolded her friend with a slight glare, giving him a how-could-you-say-that-kind-of-thing look.

"What?" Kai bite back scathingly. "It's bad enough that he even had the nerve to ask you out, but does he have to natter on? At least Syaoran Li knew when to shut it."

"I think," Sakura said somewhat coldly to Kai, "you should pay attention to your tutee now."

"Sakura…it's okay. Just forget it. I hope you still want to be my tutor for –"

"Kenji, I'd love to have dinner with you tonight." Sakura interrupted with a gentle smile.

"What?" Kai gaped, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Sakura, are you insane?"

Sakura shrugged off his grasp. "I'm perfectly sane, thank you very much."

"Y-y-y-you really would?" Kenji seemed to be unable to understand this reply as well.

"Yes, I would," Sakura's melodic laugh floated in the air. "How about that Chance Café?"

"Th-that would be g-great." Kenji stuttered, his blush never left his face.

Kai glared. This was not happening. Sakura would never accept a date with someone in the Fourth Tier. It was just…no.

This is all Syaoran Li's fault.

.o.

.o.

.o.

"Syaoran Li."

Syaoran's head snapped up at the call of his name. "Who called me?"

"Wasn't us," Eriol shrugged. Syaoran looked around the cafeteria confusedly. Eventually, he caught sight of Kai Motamiya, seething with anger as he approached Syaoran's lunch table.

"What do you want?" Syaoran glared.

"You! You've practically ruined Sakura's life, do you know that?" Kai's voice was laced with anger as he leaned forward on the table, his grey eyes covered with fury. "You've started some crazy trend, and now every pathetic, no good idiot is asking her out."

"Hey! You take that back" Meiling stood up suddenly from her seat. "My Syaoran-kun is far from a pathetic, no good idiot!"

Kai ignored her. "First it was you. Now it's Kenji Sato from Fourth Tier. For god's sake, soon everyone will get into the act."

"Hey, if Kenji wants to ask her out, that's his business!" Eriol defended Syaoran. "It wasn't Syaoran's fault!"

"Sato said you inspired him to do such a daring act. Look what you've done, Li. Are you happy now? Now that Sakura's going out with some stupid Fourth Tier loser?"

"Wait, WHAT?" Now it was Syaoran's turn to stand up. "She said yes?!"

"Yes, she said yes! They are having dinner tonight! Now if you really care about Sakura, you would just leave her alone and let her overcome this havoc you've burdened her with." With one last icy glare, Kai turned around and left the cafeteria. But Syaoran couldn't care less about the threats Kai had dished out. He was too stunned.

She said yes…

"Kai! Wait!" Syaoran bolted from his seat and chased after the First Tier genius, who ignored his holler. "KAI! Why did Sakura say yes?"

Kai stopped walking, but did not turn around to acknowledge Syaoran. His fists were clenched at his sides. "I don't freaking know ok?! I don't know why she would agree. I just know Sato never would have worked up the nerve to ask her out if you hadn't pave the path for him."

"Well, I'm determined to find out why," Syaoran said with fortitude. "And I'll need reinforcements. So I just want to know…are we in this together or not?"

Kai gave a laugh as if it was the funniest joke he had ever heard. "Me? Work together with you? Just who do you think you are? That you're up to par to work with me?"

"Look," Syaoran sighed. "I care about Sakura. And I know you do too, ok? Don't deny it. You know that you can't carry this out by yourself. Face it, Motamiya. We're in the same boat."

For a moment, Kai stayed silent, as if he was seriously considering Syaoran's words. However, his reply was as icy as ever.

"I'll never be on the same boat as you, Syaoran Li. Not now, not ever."

.o.

.o.

.o.

"I—I had a great time tonight, Sakura." Kenji blushed.

"You know, I did too. Thank you for a lovely evening, Kenji," Sakura smiled as Kenji walked her up to her front porch.

"I should be the one thanking you for giving me a chance to take you out…" Kenji mumbled.

"Kenji…I was honest when I said I had a good time," Sakura started off gently. "But I…I really don't think a romantic relationship would work out between us. I'm sorry but…I don't think we're The One for each other. I hope you'll still want to be my friend."

"Of course I'd still want to be your friend, Sakura!" Kenji looked up abruptly and hastily assured her. "I mean, you're one of the nicest people I've ever met! Nobody ever had the patience to tutor me the way you did…and…I guess I know deep down inside that a romantic relationship wouldn't work out between us. But, you know…I just wanted to see what it's like to go on at least one official date with you."

"Oh, Kenji, you're a really sweet guy." Sakura gave a soft melodic laugh. "And thank you so much for understanding. Hug?"

Kenji grinned wrapped his arm around Sakura to accept her hug. "Good night, Sakura. See you around at school?"

"You'll be seeing me on a weekly basis," Sakura grinned back. "Don't think I'll go easy on you during our tutoring session just because you had a tremendous improvement."

Kenji laughed. "I didn't expect you to."

"Alright then. Good night, Kenji."

Giving one last wave, Sakura stayed on her porch until Kenji was out of sight. She dug her hand into her purse and fished around for her keys. Feeling the cool metal pieces, she slipped it into the lock with ease and turned. However, just as she was about to turn the doorknob, a hand clamped down on her right shoulder.

Sakura yelped, thinking that it was a robber. But then her gaze fell into contact with the gaze of a pair of chocolate amber eyes, and she felt herself letting out a big breath of relief, and her heart rate calmed down from its initial scare.

"What are you doing here? How long were you snooping around for?" she eyed Syaoran with mistrust.

"Not very long. I just dashed across the street when I saw Kenji left through my window." Syaoran said. "I came over to ask you…why did you go out with him?"

"I went out with him because he is sweet." Sakura said simply.

"…That's it?!" Syaoran asked, bewildered. Then he glared at her. "You went out with him because he was sweet? What happened to the whole I-only-go-for-intelligent-guys thing? You gave me the idea that you would be interested in me if I'm able to prove myself academically, and then you turn around and went on a date with someone who's in Fourth Tier. Can you be more contradicting? Have you been playing me all along? What, were you thinking, oh, that Syaoran Li could never get on the Honour Roll, so by telling him that he must get on it in order for me to even consider him is a good method to keep him away indefinitely? You know, I always thought you were some princess…a beautiful, brilliant, kind, sincere and caring person. But I guess you're not a princess after all, are you?"

Sakura felt a tingle shot up her spine at his words. And no, not a romantic spark kind of tingle. It was more of a chilling tingle, one from a horror story, or when someone confronted his or her worst fear.

That's right. I'm never the princess, am I? Sakura whirled around and glared at him. "You listen to me, Syaoran Li, and you listen good. I have never said I rejected you because I consider you to be less intelligent than me. I rejected you because you don't live up to your potential. Kenji, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of you. He works hard. He strives for the best until the very end. I should know, I've been tutoring him this whole semester. You, on the other hand, are bright, but you don't make the effort to do better. You settled for Third Tier, Syaoran. Third Tier didn't choose you…you chose it…when you had every potential in the world to be in First. I told you on the first day that I don't want a guy who doesn't make the effort to do better; the type who is talented, but doesn't strive to be the best that he can be because he is willing to settle for something less than the best."

Without saying another word, Sakura swung her front door open and slammed it behind her. Sakura leaned against her door, her breathing heavy. She could feel the rage bubbling itself inside her chest, threatening to burst. No, she needed to calm down. Definitely needed to calm down.

From the living room, she could hear Touya letting out a strangled scream.

"Mo—oom! I thought I told you to burn that picture! Why is it still here?!"

"Aw, but sweetie, you looked so adorable!" Nadeshiko giggled, and Fujitaka let out a hearty laugh as well.

"Why do you always keep embarrassing pictures of me?! I was only six! I didn't know any better!"

"It's not just you, darling. Here's one of Sakura! Look, isn't she such a cutie pie?!" Nadeshiko gushed. "I made that witch costume!"

Wait, what?! Sakura stiffened, and stood up straighter. No, no, no! She quickly marched into the living room and snatched the photo from her mother's hands.

"Mo—oom! I thought I told you to burn this picture!" Sakura wailed hopelessly, mirroring her brother's previous words. She glanced down at the picture. It was taken when she was twelve, when her seventh grade class put on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for parents' night at the local elementary school. The picture, though taken five years ago, was still vibrant in its colour. Class 7A proudly stood in their full costumes, all of the cast and backstage crew smiled with big, childish grins. Sakura hated this picture. It reminded her too much of how she got cast to be the Wicked Witch.

"I remember you bawled your eyes out that day when the casting list went up," Touya smirked.

Sakura punched him in the arm. Hard. "I was twelve! I didn't want to play the Wicked Witch! Heck, I didn't even audition for the Wicked Witch!"

"Duh," Touya rolled his eyes. "Nobody does! Although if you ask me, I don't think not being cast as Snow White was much of a loss."

Sakura glanced down at the picture again, this time running her fingers across it wistfully. Her mind unexpectedly drifted back to Syaoran's words earlier.

You know, I always thought you were some princess…a beautiful, brilliant, kind, sincere and caring person. But I guess you're not a princess after all, are you?

"Mom, can I keep this picture? I…want to put it in my room."

Nadeshiko exchanged questioning looks with her husband.

"I thought you hate this picture, Sakura." Fujitaka asked, a smile on his lips. "Why the sudden interest to treasure it in your room?"

"You're not going to secretly tear it into shreds are you?" Nadeshiko eyed her daughter with slight mistrust.

"No!" Sakura exclaimed. "Of course not!"

"Well," Nadeshiko said thoughtfully, "I suppose you can. Not that it matters…I printed out several copies of that picture, even if you do tear that one. Look!" Her mother flipped the next page in the family photo album, and Sakura could only stare in disbelief at just how many copies there were.

"Riiight…well, um, I'll be going now." Sakura dashed from the living room and made a beeline for her room. Once inside, she flopped down on her bed with a sigh, and realized how tired she actually was. Looking up at the ceiling, Sakura held the photo up high, with her arm stretched out in the air as she rested her sore back. She scanned the photo again.

I wonder what it's like to be the princess…for once in my life.

Twinkle Starre: Hey guys! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! My goal is to reach somewhere between 85 - 90 reviews with this chapter. Think you readers can help make that possible? Hehehe!!

Now to answer some questions that were asked:

1) They are 17 years old in this story - grade 12, last year of high school.

2) Hmm...Kai. I wouldn't say he's evil, but I wouldn't say he is nice. He definitely is an arrogant person though lol because he knows his own abilities and intelligence, but he also has a good sense of common morals, so he's not evil or twisted; though he's not above being mean and insensitive from time to time. And no, he definitely doesn't require/receive tutoring from Sakura. They just study together. Kai is truly a genius all on his own. No secrets. Except for maybe really, really good DNA hahaha!

3) Okay, this wasn't really a question, but I do want to clarify that Sakura isn't prejudice against people with lower grades. She admires those who make the most of whatever potential they have, like Kai and Kenji, and thinks Syaoran definitely has more potential than he shows. I've been trying to stress this point, because in the first chapter she did say she doesn't like guys who doesn't make the effort to do better and she told her mom that Syaoran's potentials aren't Third Tier at most. But from the reviews, I guess I didn't do as good a job of getting the point across as I hoped hahaha! So why does Sakura think Syaoran is the type who has talent but doesn't use it? Well, if I tell you that, I'd ruin the story haha!!

Hint/foreshadowing: Princesses are very important. So is what Touya said. Any guesses??